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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · band · snap · ruler · cap · current · rash · wake

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. band — a ring
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. current — of water
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bat — the animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com